Stage 6: Sustainable Scale

Problem

Latin America llack of the number of scientists, IT professionals, engineers and mathematicians because there is a gap between what young people think about a STEM carreer and what a STEM career is in the reality. In my country. STEM education is a need to be solved. This project will impact on: quality of Education, gender equity (encouraging STEM vocations on Girls and Women teenagers), environmental policy and natural resource management.

Innovation Description

We adress the wrong minset about science and technology as a career using hands-on education. More than +9000 children and young people among unprivileged schools and rural communities in Colombia.They will be lead to be the next generation of rural researchers for natural resource management and also, guarantee that not only STEM education skills, but also social-emotional skills will be opened throughout the project. In the near future, they will be the agents of change for the communities and they will join me to a big program about rural STEM education, choosing science and technology careers and impacting in the large time lapse to the country as a development challenge: improve scientific vocations for rural development. We will change the mindset about science and technology careers and we will encourage girls and unprivileged children to see STEM careers as an option for them and their local communities; bringing real scientists and changing the latin america role model like gangsters or soccer players (In Colombia) for Nobel Prizers and Future scientists. Also close the gender gap in STEM.

Competitive Advantage

There is no a biigest program as Clubes de Ciencia in Colombia. This is the first and major STEM initiative of the country and Latin America that use an unique education methodology that is hands-on, use project-based learning and combine those with a real scientific experience in which young people are in touch with real scientists and they are living together what science is. This program connect more than 300 organizations including Universities, Private companies and Public organizations. We lead a poweful idea, not just an organization: We want to lead the transformation of Colombia using science, technology and innovation, cultivating and mentoring the next generation of scientists of the region.

Planned Goals and Milestones

Four new countries in South America: Argentina, Ecuador, Chie and Uruguay. Three countries in Central America: Guatemala, Honduras and Salvador. Three innovative programs inside Clubes. Regional: Going to the boundaries of the country, Amazonas and Guajira. Industry: using adapted methodologies for working in a club inside the industry and Tecnoacademias; linking our program with tertiary education. +9000 students impacted in Colombia and +600 scientists working with us.